Bent, but not Broken
by Eternal Night Owl
Summary: After Poland gets partitioned yet again, he is forced to live under his enemy's rule. As he fears for the fate of his country and the friend he was separated from, he learns that maybe he isn't alone in that fear. Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**So, here is the sort-of-sequel to "From Rye Fields to Dark Mansions." I say _sort of_ because it takes place in the same time period as the previous story, it's just revolves around another character (in this case Poland), so it's not really a sequel in the traditional sense. So, even if you haven't read the other story, you should still be able to follow along with this one just fine, as it can pretty much stand on its own.**

 **This fic takes place in 1795, after the Third Partition of Poland. I got the idea to write this fic from the headcanon of harrietamidala1691. Thanks for letting me use your idea! I might change a few things around though for the sake of the plot. I hope you don't mind.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia**

* * *

"No, I don't want to!" cried out a familiar voice in the distance, causing the personification of Poland to stir from his unconscious state. "Poland, please wake up!"

The nation in question opened his eyes to the sight of his partner, Lithuania, being dragged away by who he thought was Russia. The brunet was crying out his name, desperately trying to get away from the larger man.

 _What is going on? Where are they going?_ Poland wondered.

He propped his chin up with his hand, trying to get a better view of the situation. Despite the fact that his mind still wasn't working properly yet, a feeling of urgency overwhelmed him as he saw his best friend being dragged away.

 _I should be getting up now,_ he thought. _Why am I not getting up? Why am I not stopping this?_

He wanted to call out to Lithuania, to tell him it would be alright, that he would help him. That's what a good friend would do, right? What Lithuania would do for him?

However, he was not Lithuania. What usually happened when faced with an unpleasant situation was that Poland's brain would latch onto something, anything else, to distract him and make the anxiety go away. And, in this case, the next thing he happened to notice was Lithuania's face. The brunet looked ridiculous, his mouth agape and his body twisting around frantically trying to escape his captor's grip. So, Poland did what he did in any situation he was unsure of.

He said the first thing to pop into his mind.

"Oh my God, your face is so funny right now!" he laughed, his head still propped up.

Lithuania then gave him a look that he would never forget. His eyes were so full of pain and betrayal, as though Poland had handed him over to Russia himself. Guilt ebbed its way into the blonde's stomach. It was a strange, yet deeply uncomfortable feeling that he wasn't used to having, and he wanted it to go away. Once again, he tried to get up, to help his friend, but felt a new wave of anxiety when his body refused to comply. So, he was forced to watch helplessly as his oldest and best friend was being dragged away to an uncertain fate. Before he knew it, they were gone.

 _I'm sorry, Liet, I didn't mean to… I tried, I really did._

It wasn't long before he started to feel himself lose consciousness again.

* * *

"Wake up, loser!" taunted an obnoxious voice that sounded like nails on a chalkboard. Poland felt a boot roughly nudge him in his side, and his green eyes flew open to the sight of Prussia's glowing red ones mocking him. Next to him was another nation with dark hair and glasses, who Poland recognized as Austria.

"Is that quite necessary?" the Austrian asked, annoyed at the other's antics. In answer, Prussia laughed.

"You're just mad cause I got myself a new territory," he said, teasing the dark haired nation.

"We _both_ got new territory, Prussia."

"Yeah, but only because of my awesome battle skills."

Austria rolled his eyes and started rubbing his temples with his index fingers. "You are such a child."

As they were bickering back and forth, it started to dawn on Poland that he was surrounded by his enemies, completely alone and vulnerable. A sense of dread filled him as he thought about what they would do with him. From the way they were talking, not to mention from personal experience, he knew his land would be partitioned again, there was no doubt about that. But what about him? Would he be kept imprisoned, maybe even killed? If he had to guess, he'd probably say so. But even if he wasn't killed, what about his people? Would he even be a country anymore? He was well aware that the two nations in front of him, along with Russia, wanted to completely wipe him off the map.

Well, he certainly wasn't going to sit around and wait for that to happen.

As the two nations continued to argue, Poland tried to slip away as quietly as possible. Since he still felt a little weak, he stumbled a bit trying to get up, then anxiously looked back to make sure that Prussia and Austria were still distracted. Once he saw that they were, he started moving.

"Where do you think you're going?"

When he heard Prussia right behind him, Poland's head whipped around so fast that he lost his balance and fell on his butt into the damp, icy snow. He felt his face grow warm in a mix of embarrassment and frustration, as the Prussian gave him an infuriating smirk. The red eyed nation knelt down and picked up the blond, throwing him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"As much as I'd like to continue this little chat, I have my prize to bring home."

Austria gave him an incredulous look. "Prussia, we agreed to split the land, he is just as much mine as he is yours."

The Prussian rolled his eyes. "I thought we already discussed this. I won, and you suck."

It was difficult for Poland to see, hanging upside down over Prussia's shoulder, but he was sure that Austria flushed a bright red. "I demand that I get at least partial custody! Must I remind you again that Poland belongs to _both_ of us?"

"Should I remind you that you need to get that stick out of your-"

"Hey!" Poland spoke up, annoyed that they were talking about him as if he wasn't even there. "The only person I belong to is myself! I'm not, like, some prize to be won!"

Prussia chuckled. "You keep telling yourself that." He then turned toward Austria.

"I'll hand him over whenever I feel like it," he smirked. "If you don't like it, maybe you can play a song about how much of a pussy you are on that oh-so- _awesome_ piano of yours." He burst into laughter with Austria fuming behind him, his new territory still thrown over his shoulder.

Poland internally shuddered at the thought of living in his enemy's house, as his territory, of not even being his own country anymore. But if Prussia thought that he would be easily pushed around, he had another thing coming.

* * *

Once they got to his house, Prussia unceremoniously dumped Poland onto the floor, earning him an indignant huff.

"Welcome to my awesome house! I hope you like it, because you're going to be here forever!" Prussia laughed. Poland rolled his eyes.

Admittedly, the house was rather impressive- definitely on the larger side. To the Polish man's surprise, it was actually quite organized as well. With his callous personality, he always assumed Prussia would be a total slob.

"Yeah sure whatever. Where am I, like, supposed to sleep?" he replied, looking down at his nails, trying to sound as bored as possible.

Slightly disappointed by the Polish man's blasé attitude, he roughly grabbed him by the arm and yanked him up to his feet, perhaps with a bit more force than necessary. They walked downstairs and stopped in front of a doorway. With a smirk, Prussia opened the door to reveal the room, and Poland balked.

The room was so tiny that it could've been considered a closet. Not only that, but it looked like it hadn't been cleaned in quite awhile. There was a pile of what looked like trash off in the corner, and… was that a mouse?! Poland jumped back a little, earning loud, booming laughter from the Prussian beside him.

"You can't be serious."

"What were you expecting, a luxury suite?" Prussia retorted. Poland shot him a glare.

"This totally isn't fair! You got this big house with all these rooms, and you're making me sleep in here?"

"Mein Gott, you're even more of a priss than Austria," he said, looking down at the smaller nation. "Besides, I'm not the one who lost the right to call themselves a country."

Despite himself, Poland flinched at the statement. He then inwardly berated himself for looking weak in front of the enemy. Prussia smirked.

"You should see your face right now. It looks hilarious." Prussia laughed again, causing Poland to flinch once again.

 _That was the last thing I said to Liet before we were separated,_ he thought. _I bet he hates me now._

"Now, since you'll be living in my house, you have to do everything I say. I have some dirty laundry that needs to be done. There's a bucket, soap, and washboard outside waiting for you. Then, you can make me and my little brother dinner. If you're good, I might even let you have some."

Poland gawked at the Prussian. "If you think I'm going to be touching your totally disgusting laundry, you have another thing coming." Just then, something registered in Poland's mind.

"What do you mean your little brother? Holy Rome? Isn't he, like, off fighting a war or something?" Behind him, Poland heard footsteps. He turned around, and sure enough, it was the empire in question.

"So, this is your new territory?"

Even though Poland had only met the empire a few times, he could tell that he was hardly in the best shape. His was sallow-faced with dark circles under his eyes, and his short, blond hair was sticking up in all directions, looking like it hadn't been washed in quite awhile. He also looked much thinner than the Polish man remembered him last. To Poland's surprise, Prussia gave the small blond a stern look. He didn't think the Prussian was capable of looking stern.

"You should be in bed, brother, it is very important that you try to build up your strength. You know what will happen if… if you don't get better."

Holy Rome gave his brother an annoyed snort. "I think I can handle getting up for a few minutes to welcome our new house guest." The empire then turned to face Poland.

"It is nice to see you again, even if neither of us are in the best shape currently." He looked at Poland, and how he still had a few visible bruises and scraches on his face and arms.

Just as Poland was about to respond, the empire let out a violent cough, covering his mouth with his hand. When he removed it, his palm was red with blood.

"W-What happened to you?!" Poland asked, horrified. Concerned, Prussia rushed over and scooped up his brother into his arms.

"That's it, you're going back to bed now. I don't want to see you up again, alright?" Despite the empire's insistence he was fine, that he was still the mighty Holy Roman Empire, and really didn't need to be carried around like a helpless child, thank you very much, Prussia took him back to his room.

Poland continued to stare in the direction the two brothers went off in, still in shock at Holy Rome's state. Was he dying?

After a few minutes, Prussia was back, a melancholy expression on his usually mocking face. Poland looked at the man for a moment before getting up the courage to ask.

"What's wrong with him? I thought he was off fighting France or something. Is he, like, you know…" Poland stopped when he saw the fire in the Prussian's eyes.

"He has started to grow… weaker recently. His men forced him to come home, because if something happens to him, then the whole damn empire falls apart." He then moved closer, so he was less than a foot from the blond.

"You listen to me, if you don't work, that's up to you, but I refuse to feed freeloaders, especially when I have my brother to worry about. I warn you, if you get in the way of his recovery in any way, shape, or form, I will end you right then and there, you understand?"

Despite himself, Poland backed up a bit, barely suppressing a gulp. Though he would never admit it out loud, Prussia could be really intimidating when he wanted to be.

"Okay, fine, I won't mess with your brother. But I'm still totally not touching your dirty ass clothes." He said, as casually as possible.

Prussia rolled his eyes. "Fine, starve for all I care. If you aren't going to be useful, stay out of my sight." Prussia shoved the smaller nation into the tiny bedroom, shutting the door.

As Poland sat in the dark, dirty room, everything that had happened that day slowly started to sink in. His country was dissolved. He had been separated from Lithuania, who probably hates him now. He was taken and forced to live under his enemy's rule. He would not be eating dinner tonight, and probably wouldn't be eating at all until he either gave in to Prussia's demands or, more likely, could find a way to sneak something when no one was looking.

Bitter tears fell down his cheeks as he waited for sleep to overtake him, his aching, empty stomach growling.

* * *

 **I tried doing as much research as I could on the Third Partition of Poland for this fic, but I'm still not sure if everything is completely accurate. If I got anything wrong, especially if its something big, please tell me and I'll try to fix it.** **Also, I haven't really written for either Prussia or Holy Rome before, so if either of them seem off, please let me know about that too.**

 **The second chapter is currently in progress, and while I'll be pretty busy this week, I'll try (key word _try_ ) to have it out sometime this weekend.**

 **Last but not least, special thanks to my beta reader Midna3452 for all your help! Thank you all for reading, and feel free to leave a review! Feedback helps me become a better writer, and keeps me motivated to continue writing :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry this is kind of late! I know I said I'd try to have this up by the weekend, but I was pretty busy, and didn't have enough time to finish. But regardless, thanks to Polish reader and NordicsAwesome for your reviews!**

 **Polish reader- Thank you for the offer! This probably isn't going to be a super historical fic, but it is important to me to get at least the basic facts correct. So if anything seems off, let me know!**

 **Lastly, I've been told that I should include a warning for this chapter, specifically the first section. So, if you're particularly sensitive to blood or violence, I would just skip the italicized part, then you should be fine.**

* * *

" _Liet, where are you?" Poland called out, as he walked across the snowy battlefield. Except, there wasn't anyone else there; no sign of Prussia, Russia, or Austria, nor any of their soldiers. As unnerving as that was, what scared Poland the most was that there was no sign of Lithuania either. The icy wind cut right through the Polish man's jacket and he shivered uncontrollably._

 _"Liet, come on. This totally isn't funny!" he cried out again, starting to become genuinely frightened. Was it possible the brunet had been killed? Poland didn't think it was; there weren't any bodies around, or any signs of life at all for that matter._

 _Just then, Poland heard footsteps behind him, and whipped his head toward the source of the sound. His heart almost collapsed with joy and relief when he saw Lithuania, with his long dark hair and olive green coat._

 _"Liet, there you are!" Poland called out, running towards his friend, embracing him._

 _"Hey, Po," the brunet chuckled lightly. "It's pretty cold out here, why don't we go home? We can curl up under the blankets and drink hot cocoa, just the way you like it. How does that sound?"_

 _It sounded absolutely wonderful, the blond thought, but before he could so much as nod his head, his hand reached into the brunet's back pocket, and pulled out a knife._

What the hell? _he wondered, as his other hand began to unsheathe it._ Since when does Liet even carry a knife in his pocket?

 _Then, as though some invisible force was controlling him, he took the knife and stabbed Lithuania in the back as hard as he could. The brunet let out an ear-piercing scream._

 _"Liet!" Poland cried out, as he felt the warm blood oozing onto his hand._ Oh no, oh God no, please, not this!

 _He wanted to stop, more than he had ever wanted anything in his life. He fought with all his strength to regain control, but despite these efforts he continued to stab his partner, his closest friend, again and again and again. Till the end of his days, he would forever be haunted by the sound of those screams._

 _Once he finally got full control of his hand and managed to throw the bloody knife as far away from himself as possible, Lithuania collapsed to the ground, turning the snow from white to red. The brunet looked up at the blond with confusion and pain._

 _"P-Poland, why?" Lithuania choked out, spitting up blood. "How could you do this? I trusted you... I loved you..."_

 _Poland fell to his knees and let out a sob. "Oh God, Lithuania I… I'm so sorry! I didn't… I didn't mean to!" The nation with the bloody hands sobbed. "I couldn't stop it! I… Oh God, please forgive me!"_

 _"You- You_ traitor. _" Lithuania stuttered out, his voice raspy and fading. Then, Lithuania's once bright eyes became dull, as he looked up to the heavens._

 _"Lithuania!" Poland yelled out. He screamed, he cried, he completely broke down, becoming hysterical. He felt the weight of the world come tumbling down onto him, as though the act he committed was so horrendous that the universe itself was disgusted with him._

 _He continued to sob over his friend's body, knelt down in the pool of blood, waiting for General Winter to come and punish him the way the blond had done to Lithuania._

 _He would have welcomed it with open arms._

* * *

Poland woke up laying on a tear soaked pillow in a dark, empty room. His eyes flew open, and he pulled himself onto his feet.

"Liet!" he cried out. He frantically looked around, and felt an overwhelming sense of relief when he realized it had been just a nightmare. He lay back down on his so-called "bed" and burst into tears. He didn't think he would ever feel so happy waking up in Prussia's house, but anything was better than _that_. He was interrupted from his thoughts when he heard a loud, obnoxious knock against the door.

"Hey, loser, time to get up!" yelled out Prussia. Poland jumped, still jostled by his nightmare. He wiped the tears off of his face the best he could before opening the door.

"What do you want?" Poland asked, trying to sound as annoyed as possible. Unfortunately, his voice cracked a little at the end, and this didn't go unnoticed by the Prussian.

"What's wrong with you? You look like you just came back from a funeral or something."

The blond balled his hands into fists to keep them from shaking. "What happened is that some Prussian asshole woke me up at the crack of dawn."

Said Prussian rolled his eyes. "Sorry to interrupt your beauty sleep, Princess, but my brother likes to wake up at this time, and I need someone to keep an eye on him to make sure he eats his breakfast and doesn't choke on it."

Poland gave him an incredulous look. "I'm pretty sure he's capable of doing that himself. He is, like, an empire, you know."

Prussia let out an annoyed sound. "He's also sick, and can barely get out of bed. Maybe he thinks he can do everything he used to, but the kid needs to learn his own limits."

Poland rolled his eyes. "Why do I have to do it? He's your brother."

"Because, I'm going to be very busy today," the Prussian explained. "I have Austria and his loser of a boss breathing down my neck, and it's all your fault. Also, because I said so."

"How the hell is any of this my fault?" Poland asked. Prussia always did have a gift in being able to blame everyone else but himself, but even for him this was stretching it.

"Well," the red-eyed nation started, "if you wouldn't have let yourself get partitioned, then Austria wouldn't be whining to his boss about how 'mean' I was for not sharing you."

Poland rolled his eyes at the absurd statement. "Or, you know, you could've just not partitioned me."

The Prussian groaned. "Whatever, just go do as you're told. I don't have time for this."

Poland crossed his arms in protest. "And what if I totally don't want to?"

An evil smile appeared on Prussia's face. "Remember what I told you the other day about interfering with my brother's recovery? Well, not helping him when he needs it is just as bad. I have a nice, big sword that could cut through your neck like butter. I still owe you a beheading, or don't you remember?"

The two nations glared at one another for a minute in silence, bright green against brilliant red. Eventually, Poland lost the battle of wills, causing Prussia to smirk in victory.

"Fine, but only because I feel bad that Holy Rome has to put up with you as his brother, not because I'm afraid of you or anything."

Prussia laughed. "Sure, if that makes you feel better." Poland gave him one last glare before taking off towards the empire's room.

* * *

Poland glared down at the blue-eyed nation as he ate his meal agonizingly slow. His stomach growled in envy.

Eventually, the empire noticed this and looked up.

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

Poland was pulled out of his daze as he turned towards the curious empire.

"Um, I just have a lot on my mind right now, I guess." Again, Poland's stomach growled, much louder than the first time, causing Holy Rome to frown.

"Are you hungry?" he asked. Just as Poland was about to answer, Holy Rome let out a violent cough, choking on his food.

Poland slapped the empire on the back, trying to help him get it out. He eventually coughed out a little piece of potato, along with some blood.

"Are you okay?" he asked, not wanting anything to happen to the empire under his care. If it did, there was no doubt Prussia would have his head.

… Not that he was scared of him or anything.

After he recovered from nearly choking on his breakfast, Holy Rome answered.

"Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry about it, it just happens sometimes," he replied in a casual tone. He then turned to face the green-eyed nation.

"You know, if you're hungry, you can have some, I'm probably not going to finish it all anyway." He then handed the plate to the Polish man, causing his green eyes to light up.

"Really? Thanks!" Poland replied without thinking. Then, realizing he probably came off a little too enthusiastic, and therefore desperate, he added, "I mean, if you want to."

Giving the green-eyed nation a suspicious look, he handed him the plate. As Poland began greedily eating everything on it, Holy Rome asked him a question.

"Did you not have enough time to eat? I would have assumed you already would've done so."

Not taking his eyes off the plate, the Polish man grumbled out, "Why don't you go ask your brother?"

"What about my brother? Did he say you weren't allowed to have breakfast?" Holy Rome asked, looking slightly concerned.

"Not until I do his dirty work for him."

The empire frowned. "What do you mean by dirty work?"

Poland shrugged. "You know, laundry, cooking, cleaning, that sort of thing."

Holy Rome's expression turned from worried to incredulous. "So what you're saying is, that you would rather starve then do a couple of chores?"

"It's not the chores, it's the principle of the thing!" Poland defended. "I can't let Prussia go around thinking he can tell me what to do! Not to mention the food here kind of sucks anyway," he said, looking at the empire. "No offense."

To the Polish man's surprise, the serious little empire started laughing. "You remind me of someone I used to know."

Poland leaned in a little closer. "Who?"

A small blush appeared on the blue-eyed empire's face. "Italy. She would never eat anything unless it was gourmet. Austria didn't put up with her picky appetite very well, so naturally I had to sneak her food whenever he wasn't looking. I just hated to see her sad and hungry." He sighed. "Of course, she didn't always like what I gave her either."

Wait… She? Her? Did Holy Rome actually think Italy was a girl? The Polish man burst into laughter, causing Holy Rome to give him a dark scowl.

"What? What's so funny?"

Poland continued to laugh for another solid minute straight before calming down enough to talk.

"Um, last time I checked, Italy isn't a girl."

Holy Rome gave him a confused look. "What are you talking about? Of course she is! Why else would she always wear those frilly dresses?"

"Didn't you guys live with Hungary?"

"... Yeah, so?"

"That's why."

The empire's face turned a bright, almost impossible shade of red. "Oh."

Poland burst into laughter yet again. "You wouldn't believe how red your face is right now! You look just like…" Poland stopped himself mid sentence, his laughter slowly dying.

"You look just like Liet did when he would get embarrassed."

Poland looked down at his hands, trying to fight back incoming tears. _Come on Po, pull yourself together! You can't do this, not right now, not in front of Prussia's little brother._

Holy Rome looked at the green-eyed nation for a moment before asking. "Is Liet the nation you were separated from when my brother took you away?"

The Polish man cleared his throat. "Yeah, he was. It's just… have you ever not known how much someone meant to you until they were no longer there?"

The empire sighed. "Yes, I know that feeling all too well."

Poland twisted a piece of hair around his finger. "I don't know if I'll ever get to see him again. I don't know if he'll even want to see me anymore, even if he could."

Holy Rome furrowed his eyebrows together in question. "Why? What happened?"

Poland took a deep breath. "It's… a long story." His sadness then turned to frustration.

"I just hate this! I hate being trapped in this stupid house and being the underling of that stupid oaf!"

"...You do know that 'stupid oaf' is my brother, right?"

Poland looked completely unapologetic. "I never said it was your fault that he's such a stupid oaf. Also, it's totally rude to interrupt people." Holy Rome rolled his eyes.

"Anyway," he continued, "I used to be so powerful. Together, me and Liet were unstoppable. Nobody in their right mind would mess with us! Although your brother tried to, but it isn't like you could really consider him in his right mind anyway, and we totally kicked his ass!" The Polish man exclaimed as he jumped up and made several hand gestures to emphasize his point. Then he sighed, deflating like a balloon.

"Now look at me. I'm not even a country anymore."

Holy Rome knelt over to put a comforting hand on the nation's shoulder. "I understand what you mean. I used to be quite powerful myself, but know I can barely even get out of bed." He sighed.

"I know I'm not going to be around much longer. I don't know when it's going to happen, but… I can feel it. I know it's coming." He winced. "I'm always in pain, coughing up blood, constantly tired, even though all I do is sleep. I can barely even eat anymore, and there's been times where Prussia had to practically force me to." He gestured towards the now empty plate, courtesy of Poland.

"I always knew nations could die; I mean look what happened to the ancients... but I guess since I've been around for so long, I just assumed…"

"You assumed it wouldn't happen to you?" Poland asked, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

Holy Rome nodded his head. "Exactly. It's not that I want to die, but… I know it's going to happen." A sad look appeared in his blue eyes. "Prussia refuses to believe it, that's why he talked my soldiers into taking me home, hoping I would get better. But if I'm going to die anyway, I don't want it to be like this, in bed and _weak._ I want to die fighting with everything I have, not hiding in my older brother's house like a frightened child."

"Well, at least I got to say goodbye to Italy, one last time before it happened." After his little speech, the empire let out another violent cough, spitting up more blood.

"Well, there's no need to rush it," Poland teased, as he knelt over to wipe the blood off of the empire's mouth. He then looked down at the empty plate.

"I guess you're good?" he asked. The empire nodded. The Polish man picked up the plate and started to head out of the room.

"You know," he started, turning back, "You're not so bad, even if you are Prussia's little brother. He's lucky to have you."

He turned to leave, but was stopped by a voice behind him.

"Poland?" the blue-eyed nation spoke up, "Don't give up hope. There will come a day when we are both dead, and our languages and culture are nothing but a distant memory. But as long as we stay strong until the very end, then that's what people will remember about us, and we wouldn't have died in vain. I wish you the best of luck."

Poland gave the empire a rare, genuine smile. "I wish you the same."

He walked out of the bedroom with his head held high. No matter what Prussia or anyone else said, he always was and always would be, Polska.

* * *

 **So, I originally had a different dream sequence written, but I think the one I went with is better. It's probably one of the darkest things I've ever written to date, but I'm not gonna lie, it was pretty fun :)**

 **Anyway, please review! It would make me very, very happy :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Prussia slowly opened his brother's bedroom door, careful to be as quiet as possible. It had been a long, stressful few days for the Prussian, but seeing Holy Rome made him forget about all of that frustration. The petite blond was wrapped in a cocoon of blankets, his eyes closed in slumber. As Prussia watched the little empire, who wore a peaceful expression on his face, he couldn't help but smile to himself. No matter what Holy Rome thought, or how large his empire was, he always was, and always would be, his baby brother.

As he watched the boy's chest rise and fall, he couldn't help but wonder how long it would be like this- the blond being so weak he could hardly get out of bed by himself. Even though he felt terribly guilty for thinking so, Prussia hoped it would last for awhile. He hated to see his brother in pain, but he loved taking care of him. It was just like the old days, when Holy Rome would rely on him for everything, and look up to him as if he was his hero.

But, those days were over. Holy Rome had become an empire in his own right, and those wide-eyed, adoring looks had long since turned into glares of annoyance.

Yes, Prussia knew this wouldn't last forever. Holy Rome would get better, just as he should.

Unless, of course, he didn't...

Wait, no! What the hell was he thinking?! Holy Rome wasn't going to die, of course not! Not from this, hopefully not ever. At the very least, not for thousands and thousands of years.

Prussia checked the empire's pulse anyway, just to be on the safe side. He sighed in relief when he felt a nice, strong heartbeat.

Guilt then swelled up in his stomach as he thought about how he left his sick brother behind, and what he would have done if something happened to said brother while he was away. It, like many other things, was all that damn Austria's fault. If he hadn't been so goddamn persistent about having a meeting, if he hadn't threatened to start a war with his "ally" by his side, Prussia never would have had to leave. Just thinking about that stupid, pointless meeting made the red-eyed nation simmer with rage.

* * *

"I want my fair share, Prussia!" Austria screeched, in that annoying, how-dare-you-not-give-me-what-I-want voice of his. "We had agreement, and you went back on it! What makes you think you have the right to take what is rightfully mine?"

Prussia let out an exasperated sigh. "Mein Gott, how is it possible for one person to be so annoying? You got some land, just let it go already! Why do you even care so much? Poland is an obnoxious brat."

"Hey, you're the one to talk!" piped up Hungary, who was standing beside Austria. "Who's the one here who went back on his promises just because of what he wanted?!"

Prussia let out an angry snort. "I can't believe you, of all people, are supporting him. You used to be so awesome, Hungary; what happened? Why the hell would you ever want to side with this loser?"

An arrogant smirk started to form on the Austrian's face as Prussia pointed to him. "Are you jealous, Prussia? Are you upset that she chose to side with me over you?"

Prussia's face instantly turned bright red. "Austria, you son of a bitch, this isn't about that! I got what I wanted because I had the balls to take it. But of course, you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

Now it was Austria's turn to turn red. Just as he opened his mouth to no doubt make a nasty retort, Hungary put herself in between the two feuding men.

"Will both of you just shut up?" she exclaimed. "Do you know how juvenile you two sound?" She flashed her fiery-green eyes at the silver-haired nation. "Prussia, I can side with whoever I want. You don't own me." She then turned her attention to her Austrian ally. "And Austria, do you really have to provoke him like that? Seriously, what is the point; what will it get you?"

Both nations looked like they wanted to protest, but after seeing that Hungary was beginning to lose her patience, decided against it. The Hungarian woman then composed herself, and took her place next to Austria once again.

"Now then, before we got off topic, I believe we were talking about Poland. Austria?" she prompted. Getting his focus back, Austria turned back to face the Prussian.

"Yes, right. Like I have stated before, I will have custody of Poland for at least six months out of the year. If you refuse to hand him over in that amount of time, Hungary and I will have no choice but to take him by force."

Prussia stared back at the determined Austrian, with a stern-looking Hungary standing by his side, nodding her head in agreement. He didn't fail to notice the hand she rested on the dark-haired nation's shoulder. A new sense of fury enveloped him as he glared back at the duo.

"Poland will be yours over my cold, dead body."

* * *

As Prussia was getting lost in his thoughts of rage, annoyance, and maybe a bit of jealousy, he saw the blond beside him start to stir. The empire opened his blue eyes, which grew wide with shock as he saw his older brother staring at him.

"Hmm, what are you doing, brother?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. Slightly embarrassed about being caught, Prussia smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

"I just wanted to check on you. I felt bad for being gone these last few days. Believe me, I didn't want to go, but that idiot Austria threatened to start another war over that worthless, not-even-a country-anymore-" He cut himself off, remembering how ill his brother was, and how the last thing he needed was more stress.

"...Anyway, I'm sorry," he finished weakly. Holy Rome furrowed his brow, narrowing his blue eyes that even when he was sick in bed, managed to look intense.

"Austria threatened to start a war with you?" he asked. Prussia sighed.

"Look, I don't want you to worry about it this. Austria is all bark and no bite, and he'd be too worried about messing up his hair or leaving his precious piano behind to ever risk going up against your awesome big bro!" He puffed his chest out, but Holy Rome wasn't amused.

"Brother, this isn't a joke! Austria is no warrior, but he isn't stupid either. If he is threatening to start a war with you, he more than likely won't be fighting alone."

"Well, about that…" Prussia started, chuckling nervously.

"Oh no, he already has an ally?" Holy Rome asked anxiously. "Who is it?"

Prussia sighed. "It's Hungary. I don't know what that bastard said, but he must have told her terrible lies about me, or is blackmailing her or something. Why else would she be insane enough to be with someone like him?" His voice was tinged with anger.

Holy Rome looked at him in horror. "You… you don't think that they'll force Italy to fight with them, do you?"

Prussia stared at the blond for a moment, observing his visibly distressed expression. Trying to reassure him, he snorted and waved him off. "Of course not. Have you seen how much Hungary coddles that kid? She would never let that happen."

While he couldn't be _positive_ that was true, it was a safe bet. Neither Austria or Hungary said a word about the Italian, and he wasn't going to have his brother worry about nothing. However, Holy Rome still looked incredibly anxious.

"You need to stop worrying so much, little bro! Relax! All this stress isn't good for your health." Prussia said, letting a laugh escape from his lips. "Besides, there isn't going to be a war at all. Trust me, Austria will never go through with it." Holy Rome then responded by saying something that Prussia couldn't quite hear.

"What was that?" asked Prussia.

"Well," he started, "If all he wants is Poland, you could just hand him over and guarantee that there wouldn't be a war," Holy Rome repeated. Prussia looked at his brother like he was out of his mind.

"Are you serious?! You think I should just hand an entire country like that over because Austria wants me to?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, it's like you said yourself- he's not a country anymore, and you don't even like him. Wouldn't it be better to just give Austria at least partial custody?"

Prussia sighed. "I never should have let you live with him for as long as you did; he's completely warped your views. In order to be perceived as strong in this world, you have to be stand firm, never give in to the enemy. Letting your fears of battle affect your decisions will make you look like a coward to everyone around you. Even the slightest hint of weakness will make other countries flock to you like vultures."

Holy Rome raised an eyebrow skeptically. "If that's true, then why did you force me to come home instead of letting me fight for my empire?"

Prussia gaped at his brother. "W-what? That's completely different!" he spluttered out. "You're sick, you don't have the strength that a typical nation has right now. If you fought, you could die."

Holy Rome shrugged. "You could die too, brother, if the war is damaging enough. Not to mention, how many people, our people, have died protecting us?" he asked. "My people are out there right now, dying as we speak. I'm supposed to protect them, give them support. But here I am, hiding out like the cowards you despise!" His voice grew louder and angrier with each word. Unfortunately, his rant was then followed by an intense ache in his stomach, causing the empire to gasp in pain. Prussia immediately got to his feet, looking over the blond in fear.

"What happened?! Are you hurt?"

Holy Rome looked back at his brother's worried expression, and held back tears threatening to spill.

"No I'm fine; it was nothing but a slight twinge," he said as convincingly as he could. Of course, Prussia didn't buy it. He forced the blond to lay back down.

"I'll be right back, I'm going to get you a drink." he said before leaving the room. When Prussia returned, he had that 'worried older brother' look that Holy Rome had come to despise.

"You see, brother, this is what I was talking about. How are you supposed to fight in battle when you're in this shape?" Prussia commented, handing the blond the glass. "If you really want to help your empire and your people, you would concentrate on getting better. Without you, your empire will fall."

"I think we both know that's going to happen anyway," Holy Rome responded in a voice barely above a whisper. Despite this, Prussia heard every word and turned to look at his brother straight in the eye.

"You listen to me," said Prussia, his voice uncharacteristically low and serious. "You will survive, even if I have go up to that sadistic asshole France himself and strangle him with my bare hands." A dark chuckle came from his lips. "Hell, I might do it anyway. That'll show him that nobody messes with my brother."

Holy Rome yet again raised his eyebrow. "Not that I wouldn't enjoy watching France get strangled, but I can't help but find it ironic that you're so angry at France for taking my land, when you did the same thing to Poland."

Prussia's eyes flashed in anger. "You know very well those are two entirely different things! That nation was nothing more than a pest. You are strong, a fierce fighter, and your empire is actually worth saving!"

Holy Rome didn't buy it. He loved his empire more than anything, but still he couldn't help but to see the hypocrisy in his brother's words.

"I am not strong anymore, brother. Maybe I was before, but those days have passed. Are you saying that if I am no longer strong or a fierce fighter, I wouldn't be worth saving?"

Prussia gave him an exasperated look. "Stop twisting my words around! And besides, you will be strong once again. Every nation has their moments of weakness." Reaching his limit, Prussia stormed towards his brother's bedroom door.

"You obviously need some rest to clear your head. I will be back in a little bit to check on you."

Just as the Prussian was about to leave, Holy Rome called for him to stop.

"Would you like to know something about Poland, brother? When you were gone, I almost choked on my food, and he saved me."

Prussia stopped in his tracks, his expression of frustration turned to genuine shock. "What?" he asked.

Okay, it might have been a bit of an overstatement, but it was at least somewhat true. Holy Rome did choke on his food for a moment and Poland did help him spit it back out again. He doubted he would have died from that, even in this state, but if it made his brother at least start seeing the Polish man as a person rather than an inconvenient possession, then it was for a good cause.

"Yes brother, Poland saved my life. Maybe you should learn to give people a chance."

Prussia stared at the blond, waiting for him to say that he was joking, that it was all a prank. However, he knew his brother well enough to know that what he said wasn't either.

"Well, I'm glad you told me this," Prussia said, and then walked out of the room.

As much as he hated to admit it, Prussia knew he owed the Polish man. He knew Poland was hardly an angel, and could be quite sneaky when he wanted to be. But still…

* * *

Poland was in his bedroom, staring at the wall in complete boredom. He was able to eat a little here and there with Prussia gone, but Holy Rome warned him against taking too much, if he didn't want Prussia to notice. Not to mention since he came back, he hadn't been able to eat anything at all. So, he could feel his stomach growl in hunger.

He heard a knock on his door, interrupting him from his thoughts. He cursed under his breath, not in the mood to talk to who was on the other side.

"What do you want-" he started to say, but stopped when he saw Prussia holding a plate of wurst in his hand, with a begrudging look on his face.

"I changed my mind," he said, practically throwing the plate at the Polish man. Before Poland could open his mouth to ask, Prussia interrupted.

"Don't get the wrong idea, you won't get this for nothing. You will now be sleeping in the empty room next to my brother's, so you can help him with anything he needs. That includes cooking, cleaning, and watching over him when I can't. His health and wellbeing will now be your number one priority."

Poland looked up at him in question. "Why are you doing this now?"

"It doesn't matter," Prussia interrupted. "Just know that this is a one time opportunity, and if you fail, you will suffer the consequences." He then stared down at the plate.

"Eat your food, then go report to my brother," he commanded. He then walked out, leaving Poland alone and wondering what the hell just happened.

Shrugging his shoulders, the blond dug into his meal. While part of him wondered if he should be protesting anything Prussia demanded that he do, he told himself that he was doing it for Holy Rome, and not Prussia himself.

Speaking of Holy Rome... Poland had a feeling that somehow he was behind this, and decided he would ask him about it later. But for now, he was too hungry to think of anything but filling his stomach.

* * *

 **Wow, it's been a _really_ long time since I've updated this story, and I'm very sorry about that. However, now that I look back on it, I can't help but to think it's not very good, and wonder if it's even worth continuing at this point. I've started writing another story recently, (that will hopefully be updated today) and if no one is interested in this, I'd rather work on that instead. So either way, let me know what you think. I'll take all feedback into consideration. :)**


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